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Salvage and Marcus Thames

The Tigers took the final game of the White Sox series to avoid the sweep.  Had they lost, they would have dropped out of first place, and fortunately they salvaged that last game win.  As it stands, we’re tied 2-2 with the Blue Jays, and it’d be nice to use this win to build some momentum.

I’m not sure what Marcus Thames did to someone of power in the Tigers organization.  For the last two years, he’s been buried in favor of Craig Monroe despite the fact that they’re pretty much the same type of players.  This year though, Thames has thrived on his part time role while Monroe has faltered, and with the ankle injury to Monroe, Thames is finally going to get his chance.  He had 11 homeruns in 110 at bats heading into todays game and he has an OPS of 1.094.  You would have thought he’d get a chance sooner, but the mind of major league managers work in mysterious ways.



This bullpen is garbage!! anybody want to argue with me now?

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Posted by Darryl on June 9th, 2006 at 6:31 pm

Im tired of this! I understand Rodney hasnt been sharp but his numbers are there and he will be fine. You go ahead and tell me that Jones has any worth what so ever!!!

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Posted by michael on June 9th, 2006 at 6:33 pm

Did anyone ever notice the Dungeons and Dragons link on the bottom of the page? Nerd alert!!!

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Posted by Darryl on June 9th, 2006 at 6:56 pm

On the Thames issue. The way he has been jerked around is utter ridiculousness. I’m tired of it.

Is he hurt? Just now, top of the 9th, one out, Ordonez just hit a double, Tigers are up 5-3, Lilly on the mound. Why is Gomez hitting for Thames? Why is a lefty coming in to face a lefty pitcher in place of the lefty-mashing power hitter who goes deep every 9 at bats? Either Thames is hurt, or this is the most inexplicable managing move I have seen in quite some time. I hope Thames isn’t hurt, but if he isn’t, what does that say?

Alexis Gomez is pure garbage. This idea that we need a lefthanded hitter at all costs is absurd. It would be nice to have another lefty in the lineup, but it’s not worth putting a terrible one in there. I mean, what are these people thinking?

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Posted by Dan on June 10th, 2006 at 2:20 pm

Jones is about to blow it AGAIN. No more defending Jones. He is shit, end of story.

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Posted by Dan on June 10th, 2006 at 2:31 pm

IM tired of it! yes we won but jones is terrible. the winnign runs is either stepping up to the plate, or it has just crossed home plate. meanwhile, the black sox never lose! the come back and win every game as if someone is urinating on us from above! what have we done that is so terrible?

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Posted by michael on June 10th, 2006 at 2:36 pm

Here is how stupid the save “statistic” is. Jones came in and pitched terribly, walking the tying run and bringing the winning run to the plate in the form of Alex Rios, a guy who is hitting .342 and who has 11 home runs. He gets a save, which is exactly why you can’t point to saves as evidence of anything besides the way in which a player was used. I’m tired of this “proven closer” crap. It is myth. Jones came in and pitched like the bush leaguer that he is, but boy he sure did “save” the game, didn’t he. They should have a companion stat, the “tried to blow it” statistic. Jones would be leading the league because almost every one of his appearances are like this. Has anyone noticed that he is constantly letting the tying runs get on base? I mean just about EVERY TIME. He doesn’t strike anyone out, that’s why. You have to miss bats if you want to shut a team down, its righties and its lefties. At this point Jones should only be pitching to righties in close games unless we’ve already exhausted the other options.

You what is most amazing about what I’m saying? That someone will invariably write in to disagree with me on it. I don’t mind being disagreed with about some things, but Todd Jones being a busher is not one of them.

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Posted by Dan on June 10th, 2006 at 2:39 pm

Todd Jones is the only man that makes me question my own sanity. There’s a rage that boils inside whenever I see the man on television. Anyone else get that feeling?

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Posted by KS on June 10th, 2006 at 2:40 pm

Yes, for two reasons. One, he sucks. I’m tired of hearing about how he is the franchise saves leader. That says more about the franchise than it does about Todd Jones, and the poeple repeat this nonsense don’t even know why they’re saying it.

The other reason is that he is (or at least was, but I’ll take my chances and say “is”) an outspoken homophobe. The guy is a jackass.

These pitchers need to start being evaluated on their results-that is, how good they are at getting batters out-and not on their facial hair. He might get into his rented monster truck and feel good about himself when he’s driving back to the hotel tonight, but the reality is that he screwed up and we got lucky.

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Posted by Dan on June 10th, 2006 at 2:51 pm

I’m tired of Jerkwater sports writers as well. read this from Tom Gage’s (Detroit news) Blog.

Todd Jones

“Don’t know if you all are still down on him or not – but you have to admit, he’s a stand-up guy, there to talk after the bad and the good. He just gave us a great line about what he went through after Friday night’s game: “I slept like a baby – woke up crying every two hours” – this save was big for him, of course, as is the trust Leyland is showing in him.”

HIllarious! right Tom? was he also being a “stand-up guy when he said

“”I wouldn’t want a gay guy being around me,” Jones told the Denver Post.

“It’s got nothing to do with me being scared. That’s the problem: All these people say he’s got all these rights. Yeah, he’s got rights or whatever, but he shouldn’t walk around proud. It’s like he’s rubbing it in our face.”

What makes it so ironic is that Jones sports that Macho man handlebar moustache that just screeeeeams Power Bottom!

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Posted by michael on June 10th, 2006 at 10:03 pm

I’ve grown most tired of hearing “we signed him to close, so that’s where he’ll stay”. Does anyone in baseball ever consider putting their best pitchers into high leverage situations? I heard Gage on WXYT this week saying how Chris Shelton has to hit or Leyland is going to start playing Guillen and Pudge at first from time to time. That he doesn’t have patience for that type of thing. What the F**k is the difference with Jones??? The guy is a never was. He’s the poster child for how ridiculous the save statistic is, making a long career out of mediocore pitching.

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Posted by KS on June 11th, 2006 at 4:56 am

Speaking as a Yankees fan, I was paying attention to Thames when he was in AAA and being brought up to the majors – I was watching the game, on tv, that he got his first hit – a home run off of Randy Johnson (there’s a lot of THAT going around, lately).

Thames, being brought to the majors in his late 20’s, was never considered a “prospect” because of his age – my bet is that he’s being buried behind Monroe because Monroe is a Proven Veteran ™ or a Top Prospect; Thames, because of his age, is considered to be a AAAA player or a Journeyman, until enough people get hurt that he gets his chance.

It’s stupid. It’s that kind of thinking that kept Higgenson in the field FAR longer than he should have – and that keeps Todd Jones on the mound far longer than he should be.

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Posted by Chuck May on June 11th, 2006 at 4:58 am

Today, we saw the sort of bullpen management that wins games. Leyland put Zumaya into a close game (8-5 thru six) and LEFT HIM IN.

He didn’t take out a pitcher who was missing bats, as he has so often this year. He trusted his best reliever with a lead and left him in to finish the job.

If Zumaya pitches 3 innings, 7-8-9, twice every week, and locks up two W’s in the process, this team is in it for the long haul.

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Posted by Jason on June 11th, 2006 at 1:21 pm

The team doesn’t get on base enough to hold onto first place. Their pitching is very good, but it will not stay where it’s been in the first two months of the season. In the meantime, if this team doesn’t learn to get on base, it will falter.

We need a bat for this lineup. I don’t want to hear any garbage about how it has to be a left-handed bat, because that’s how you end up with Matt Stairs instead of Craig Wilson. That being said, let’s get Abreu! Hell, this team isn’t afraid of spending come coin (just look a tthe last three draft picks).

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Posted by Dan on June 12th, 2006 at 6:17 am


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